This invention relates generally to sun visors for automotive vehicles and specifically to a driver side and a passenger side sun visor system each having a pair of sun visors therein.
In most traditional automotive vehicles it is common to have a driver side and a passenger side primary sun visor which can be rotated from a stowed position adjacent to the bottom of a decorative headliner trim panel to a functional position proximate with the vehicle windshield. These conventional primary sun visors can also be pivoted from the windshield sun blocking position to a second sun blocking position proximate with the vehicle's side window. Accordingly, annoying sunlight can be blocked from a vehicle occupant's eyes when the automotive vehicle is being driven along a curved road. However, not only is this pivoting movement burdensome, but it can also distract the driver's attention when he moves his head out of the way of the swinging sun visor. This head moving situation is further exacerbated by the typically long length of the primary sun visor in combination with the recent trend of locating a front windshield header of the automotive vehicle rearwardly in order to achieve improved exterior aero-dynamics. Another problem is created in that a vanity mirror, which is commonly attached to a face of the primary sun visor, is concurrently pivoted toward the side window along with each primary sun visor. Therefore, the vehicle occupant can not use the vanity mirror when sunlight is being blocked from entering the side window.
Another traditional sun visor system that has been used, provides for both a primary and an auxiliary sun visor at each front corner of the vehicle. This double sun visor system is beneficial over the aforementioned single primary sun visor in that sunlight can be blocked simultaneously along both the front windshield and the adjacent side window. This is often advantageous when driving along a winding road where the sun light intermittently enters the windshield and then the adjacent side window. Two such primary and auxiliary sun visor systems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,965,415 entitled "Multiple Shield Sun Visor For Vehicles', which issued to Dryden on Dec. 20, 1960, and U.S. Pat. No. 2,634,161 entitled "Sun Visor", which issued to Beets on Apr. 7, 1953. These systems comprise a pair of sun visor blades which are both freely pivotable from a windshield position to an adjacent side window position about pivots disposed coaxially on a pivot rod. Dryden also shows each sun visor having independent pivot axes. Additionally, a ball and socket pivot means can be used, as is known within the art. While these freely pivoting dual sun visors can be used in combination with a shortened length auxiliary sun visor to minimize the need for an occupant to duck his head upon swinging such toward the side window, the coaxial double pivoting mechanisms create a thick package when stowed. In other words, when the primary and auxiliary sun visors are stowed against the bottom of the headliner panel, their thickness below the headliner panel often obtrusively protruded into the occupant's head room. These conventional sun visor systems are also disadvantageous in that, over time, the sun visors tend to sag since neither the primary nor auxiliary blades are supported at both ends.
More recently, an increasingly refined primary and auxiliary sun visor system has become commonplace within luxury vehicles in the automotive industry. These systems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,921,300 entitled "Vehicle Sun Visor Mounting Arrangement" which issued to Lawassani et al. on May 1, 1990, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,783,111 entitled "Visor" which issued to Hemmeke et al. on Nov. 8, 1988. Within these popular systems, a primary sun visor, often carrying an illuminated vanity mirror, is rotatable from a stowed position parallel with the headliner panel to a functional position proximate with the windshield and is then pivotable toward the side window. Furthermore, an auxiliary sun visor is then rotatable from a stowed position against the headliner panel to a functional position proximate to the windshield. The auxiliary sun visor further has the ability to translate laterally between an outboard bezel and a center support upon both of which it is rotatably affixed. The auxiliary sun visor alternately has an extension panel which extends laterally from the auxiliary sun visor thereby fully blocking the sun near the vehicle's A-pillar. While these latter systems represent significant improvements in the art, the vehicle occupant must still inconveniently move his head out of the way to allow swinging movement of the longer primary sun visor. Concurrently, the vanity mirror is also swung to an unusable position proximate with the side window. Therefore, a sun visor system is desired which allows a primary sun visor and a vanity mirror to remain in a useable forward position while a shortened secondary sun visor can be pivoted toward the side window.